It's nice to meet another fan of Jim Wetherbe. I took a course in Dallas taught by him through the Index Group (now CSC Index). We had lunch and discussed a book I had written for the Coast Guard (and came to the mutual conclusion it wasn't worth trying to get it published) and went boot shopping together: He prefers cowboy boots to motorcycle boots for his riding. I still have my boots; he's probably worn out 10 pairs since then. That's probably why I'm not famous.

I still use several of his stories: the one about his father- in-law and the discount tickets; the one about his wife and the request for waiver of out-of-state tuition; the one about the bonus at the major oil company and unmet expectations; and the one about buying his Toro lawn tractor.

I knew you had good taste.

Ned R.

Dear Ned:

My favorite story that Jim tells is the one about his wife trying to register at the University of Minnesota under the reduced tuition plan for faculty spouses and having to bring all sorts of proof from Jim to convince the university that he really worked there. The idea that they might check their own payroll system never made it to first base; after all, the payroll groups and the people who accept tuition payments worked for different parts of the university and heaven forbid that they should think of sharing information.

What strategic advantages do you offer to your company as a CIO?

Karen H.

Dear Karen:

Funny that you should ask. Kratmeyer, our head of international operations, has raised that question on more than one occasion.

A CIO doesn't really offer a company any strategic advantage unless, of course, she or he is a whole lot smarter than the majority of CIOs who work for the competition. Given that statistically most of us can't be smarter than most of us, the strategic benefit that we can provide a company is the assurance that we will spot trends, take advantage of technology, and avoid wasting the resources entrusted to us. Basically, a valuable CIO strives to ensure that the systems function supports the needs of the business -- and the business strategy reflects the capability of information technology.

Just wondering which of the following you would recommend for a novice who wants to learn his first programming language (which hopefully, will facilitate his job-hunting effort): C, C++, Java (JavaScript and the likes), SQL, or Visual Basic?

I'm a young, brazen CPA and CIA (no, not that CIA...but Certified Internal Auditor) who is getting tired of my 1.5- year-old government auditing job and am ready for a career change, preferably in information systems auditing or any other IT field. As a backu p LAN administrator, I am pretty familiar with the NetWare 4.x network (by the way, I'm a Certified Novell Administrator), but I really want to learn a useful programming language to enrich myself and help me advance in my career. I just took the CISA (Certified Information Systems Auditor) exam and I am working to fulfill the experience requirement to get certified. Unfortunately, my office doesn't conduct any IT auditing and I have no choice but to pursue a job opportunity elsewhere. Any words of wisdom for me?

Kokie T.

Dear Kokie:

Java is really hot now and people who know C++ still command big bucks compared to most other programming skills. But more important than picking a language to learn, you should spend some time trying to focus on whether you want to pursue a career in IT auditing or in technology, either as a LAN administrator or a programmer. A lot of information systems auditing consists of reviewing proce dures and using packaged tools to test results. Since you say that you want to enrich yourself, I think you'll find that the programmers make more money than the auditors. If that bothers you, remember that the auditors have the psychological pleasure of being paid for critiquing the coders.

Your anecdotes in the column (" The Art Of The Trade Show ") were so true.

Having just finished PC Expo I am reminded, as a vendor, how I look at the titles on the badges and descend on decision makers to let them know how wonderful we vendors are and see if they will give us an audience, almost like the Pope. But, then again, that is what I am paid for.

As for giveaways, on my breaks, I also look for the best toys, for my kids of course. My best trick is to ask a fellow vendor for a trinket out of the goodness of his heart because of the fellowship between salespeople in the busine ss. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

Frankly, the premiums have gotten a little skimpy over the past few years. Too many pens, not enough balls, Frisbees, and flashlights.

Now, it's the end of the sales quarter and I must call some of your colleagues to collect my purchase orders.

Regards,

Rob D.

Dear Rob:

You have the components of a brilliant idea that could be used to get additional trinkets for the kids and maybe even extra time with those decision-makers. It could even lead to more of those wonderful purchase orders.

When you go around trying to cadge some of the toys from the other sales reps, collect their business cards and trade for about five or 10 of their giveaways. Then, when the particularly big titles appear at your booth, tell them you know their time is valuable, so you've pre-collected some especially fine promotionals for your better prospects -- such as themselves. After you'v e given your demo and handed over the goodies, be sure to give the prospective customer the business cards of the other vendors with directions to their booths. Make sure you've marked your name with a "referred by" on it, so that if Mr. or Ms. Big Title does make it over there, you get the credit -- and maybe even some more goodies to continue your new sales methodology.

I would like your opinion on the use of executive recruiters to locate job opportunities in the IT field. I currently hold a senior-management IT position in higher education and am considering a change to private-sector employment.

What is your experience working with executive recruiters? Any suggestions, other than referrals and reference checks, to finding a good one?

Thanks,

John

Dear John:

Executive recruiters come in two flavors, those wh o work on retainers and those who work on a contingency basis. The gulf between these two types is huge.

The recruiters who work on retainer (such as Egon Zehnder International , Heidrick & Struggles , Korn/Ferry International , and SpencerStuart ) are at the top of the food chain. They get paid by a company for conducting a search on an exclusive basis and normally limit themselves to filling jobs with salaries that are firmly at or above middle management. They seek out candidates for these positions from their own databases and personal knowledge of the industry. They do not shop around the resume of a candidate on the hope that a firm may have an opening. Rarely do retained recruiters pay much attention to unsolicited resumés unless they have a relevant search under way.

Contingency-based search firms, on the other hand, compete w ith each other to place individuals and get paid when a person is hired. They rarely have exclusive deals. The contingency firm will take someone's resumé, for example, a telecommunications specialist, and call different companies, asking if they have need of this specialist. Frequently, a person's resumé (with his or her name removed) may be sent, unsolicited, to many different companies.

While it doesn't hurt to send your resumé to a retained search firm, I still feel that the best way to seek a new job is to network with people whom you know and to apply directly to companies for whom you would like to work. If you are going to try to work with a contingency recruiter, I know of no better way to determine if you are going to be comfortable with one than the referrals and reference checks that you have mentioned.

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